Beeping eore and aet sails



UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES L. TOWNSEND, OF NEWBURYPORT, MASSACHUSETTS.

REEFING FORE AND AFT SAILS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 24,167, dated May 24, 1859.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JAMES L. TowNsEND, of Newburyport, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Mode of Reeng Fore and Aft Sails; and I do hereby declare that the same is fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure l, is an elevation of a mast and foresail with my improvement applied thereto. Fig. 2, exhibits the same with the sail as reefed.

In such drawings A denotes the mast; B, the boom; C, the gaif, and D, the sail, the said sail being applied to the mast, the boom and the gaif in the usual manner; F is the stay extending from the head of the mast to the outer end of the boom; G is the peak halyard, while H is the main halyard of the gaft'.

In the application of the gaff to the mast, I employ a ring, hoop or cylinder I, clasped by a band of iron a, having the gaff jointed or hinged to it as shown at b, in such manner as to enable the gaff to fall into a vertical position or into parallelism with the mast as shown in Fig. 2. The main halyard H, is attached to the band a, so as to lift the cylinder I, and the gaf at one and the same time when the said halyard is pulled downward by a person standing on the deck. From the said band a t-he halyard H extends upward and through a block o, hung to the mast, and from thence the halyard is carried downward toward and is belayed near the deck. The peak halyard Gr, passes from the gaff through a leading block d, (suspended from the mast) and thence down toward the deck as shown in Fig. l. At the outer extremity of the boom is a sheet or holding rope as represented at e, in Figs.` l and 2.

To an eye K, affixed to the leach of the sail at a short distance below the gait' as shown in Figs. 1, and 2, two head reeing lines L, L, are fastened. From thence they extend upward respectively through leading blocks (or their equivalents) f, f, suspended from the outer end of the gaff. From these blocks the said lines are carried in slanting directions on opposite sides of the sail (or so that one shall be on each side of it) and are respectively passed through blocks or fair leaders i, c', arranged at the forward part of the sail, as. shown in the drawings. Furthermore to the leach of the after part of sail I attach any suitable number of buntlines or lap holders M, M', N, N. They extend in slanting directions on each side of the sail and respectively through blocks or fair leaders g, g, aii'ixed to the sail as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Furthermore, for the purpose of strengthening the sail, a rope 7L may be fastened to it and made to extend diagonally across it as shown in the drawings.

In order to reef the sail, the peak halyard should be slackened so as to permit the gaff to fall downward into a vertical position or into parallelism with the mast. Next, the head reefing line of that side of the sail against which the gaf may fall should be pulled on so as to take up the slack of the leach and head of the sail and secure the gaff close against the mast. Next, the secondary reefing lines or lappers on the same side of the sail should be pulled so as to secure the lap or leach thereof, directly to the main body of the sail as shown in Fig. 2, the head reeting lines and lappers being afterward suitably belayed.

By the above mode of reeing a sail it will be perceived that a large portion of the sail will be turned down and lapped upon the remainder so as to materially reduce the sail and in a manner greatly advantageous to the operation of the wind thereon, the reduction being effected on either side of the sail as circumstances may require.

I claim'- l. The application of the gaff C to the mast A, so as to be capable of being dropped downward on either side of the sail into or about into parallelism with the mast as specified in combination with the application of one or two head reeing lines L, L, to the gait' and the sail, so as to enable the slack of the leach and upper part of the sail to be taken up and also the lower end of the gaif to be secured in order to effect the reeing of the sail as specified.

2. I also claim in combination withv the said means of r'eefing the head and producing the lap of the sail, one or more buntlines or lap securing lines M, lI, N, N', applied to the leach and the body of the sailv substantially in manner and to operate as described.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my signature.

JAMES L. TOWNSEND.

Witnesses:

E. F. STONE, JOSEPH ALLEY, Jr. 

